Good Food Read: "Folks, this ain't normal" by Joel Salatin

At past PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture)conferences, I've heard Joel Salatin speak on a variety of agricultural topics. It is about time that I read one of his books. This is a review of his most recent work "Folks, this ain't normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World."

Joel Salatin and his family own and operate Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, a diversified animal operation. Salatin is considered a pioneer in rotational grazing. This book is not a guide to his farming system but an intellectual exploration of range of farming and food issues. I may not agree with all of Salatin's politics but I enjoy reading what he has to say and thinking about it.

This is a book for contemplation. A great winter read after a long season of farming or gardening.

New York Times Features Community Gardens

Here are links to a recent series of articles from the New York Times on Community Gardens:

"The Seeds They Carried"

"Chickens Threaten to Divide Brooklyn Community"

"Growing Everything but Gardeners"

Recipe: Lemon Pepper Brussel Sprouts

Every Thanksgiving dinner, I use this recipe. The version I've written below is modified from Jack Bishop's "Vegetables Every Day" cookbook. This is the only recipe I use for brussel sprouts.

---

Ingredients:

brussel sprouts, rinsed, trimmed, and cut in half

fresh lemon juice

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

---

Recipe:

Add the brussel sprouts to a pot of boiling water and cook for five minutes.

Drain immediately and sprinkle with lemon juice. The acid from the lemons will soften the harsh cabbage flavors. Typically, I use the juice from half of a lemon for a pound of brussel sprouts.

Toss with olive oil.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve IMMEDIATELY. The lemon juice will discolor the sprouts if left sitting for too long.

Good Food Read: "Growing Older" by Joan Dye Gussow

Several years ago, I had read "This Organic Life: the Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader" by Joan Dye Gussow and absolutely loved reading it. A local organic farming conference stocked her newest book, "Growing Older", at their book sale. Being a frugal fanny, I jotted down the title and checked it out from my local library.

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the author's description of coping with grief, or lack thereof, after the death of a loved one. It is fascinating to follow her thought process through her feelings of guilt because she isn't devastated by the loss of her husband.

The book is divided into four sections: The End of My Marriage, What Next?, Some of the Other Species, and Growing Older. My favorite chapters were "Muskrats, Dahlias, and an Italian", "Watery Lessons", and "Zucchini(Warning: Contains Recipes)." There is also a chapter discussing bees, pollinators, and colony collapse disorder.

Favorite quote included by the author:

"As long as one has a garden, one has a future. As long as one has a future, one is alive."

--Frances Hodgson Burnet, from "In the Garden"

Both books are available on Amazon and published by Chelsea Green Publishing in Vermont.

Recipe: Sauteed Swiss Chard

This fall, I've been using this recipe to quickly add a green vegetable to our dinners, especially when we need a break from salads. To extend our harvest, I left the swiss chard plants in the ground and included them in the low tunnel. For a variety suggestion, I've had success with 'Bright Lights' and haven't trialed any other varieties.

---

Ingredients:

A bunch of eight to ten stalks of chard

1-2 tablespoons (15-30 mL) of olive oil

1/4 cup (50 g) finely minced onion

salt

pepper

lemon slices

---

Recipe:

Remove the leaf material from the stems and place in a bowl of cool water. Meanwhile, chop the stems in 1/4 inch (0.75 cm) pieces. Combine the olive oil, chard stems, and onion in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Saute for about 5 minutes until the stems are tender.

Drain the leaves and remove most of the water. I suggest using a salad spinner. Add the leaves to the pan and cover.

After about 2.5 minutes, toss the swiss chard and cover again until thoroughly wilted, usually another 2.5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately with a lemon wedge. The lemon juice adds a nice acidic citrus flavor to the chard but will turn the rich green color into a muted brown if left to sit before serving.

Winter Low-Tunnel Timeline

Here is a timeline using photographs of the 2011-2012 winter garden. The beets, spinach, mache, and lettuce were seeded in late September. The garlic was planted in October. The carrots were seeded in late March.

Low-tunnels are easily constructed and require minimal investment compared to other winter growing options. Finally, part of the solution to eating locally year-round. The hoops are half inch diameter electrical conduit bent with a tool purchased from Johnny's Seeds. Electrical conduit is readily available at any local hardware or building supply store. The row cover (white fabric) is Agribon 19 and the plastic is Tufflite, both available at Johnny's Seeds. Typically, row cover will last two years. We've successfully re-used our row cover from last year for the current winter season. The manufacturer states that Tufflite greenhouse plastic will last five to seven years.

Key advice for setting-up the low-tunnels:

1. Have at least 3 ft of extra material at both ends. This allows one to ensure that the row cover and plastic are as taut as possible. If the row cover or plastic is sagging then rain and snow can collapse the low-tunnel. Pull the material into a pony-tail, twist, and secure with a sand bag. From the opposite end, repeat the same set of tasks with the addition of tightly pulling the row cover.

2. Find sturdy bags to fill with sand. Don't use zippered plastic bags. I had difficulty locating the feed bags that were recommended and resorted to using plastic storage bags. Those bags eventually split, even after careful handling.

September 28, 2011: Setting up the low tunnels.

January 6, 2012: Row cover and greenhouse plastic.

November 13, 2011: 'Tyee' and 'Bloomsdale' spinach seedlings.

Carrots

May 2, 2012: Carrot seedlings.

June 2, 2012: A snack from thinning the carrot patch.

July 10, 2012: Final carrot harvest.

Beets

March 11, 2012: The beet seedlings have survived the winter.

May 2, 2012: Transplanting of seedlings was successful!

June 2, 2012: Harvest of some luscious beets and beautiful beet greens

Garlic

March 11, 2012: 'Musik' and 'Chesnok Red' Garlic Varieties.

May 2, 2012: Still growing, by June 13th scapes were harvested from all of the plants.

Mighty Mache: the Champion of Winter Salad Greens

December 11, 2011: Seedlings!

January 6, 2012: Still growing, far right corner.

March 11, 2012: Ready to harvest.

Tips for a successful community garden plot

Two words: water and weeds.

---

Depending on your community garden's set-up, watering your plants can be a time consuming and never-ending battle. In my experience, mulching deeply with 6-12 inches of straw will conserve a tremendous amount of water and reduce watering frequency.

If watering is not an issue, then weeds will likely take up most of your gardening time. Contrary to other gardeners with a loathing of weed pulling, I enjoy removing weeds but it takes time away from thinking about succession planting schedules, harvest plans, etc. Mulching at the aforementioned depth will also do a good job of suppressing weed seed germination.

Avoid underestimating the gardening time black hole of weedy pathways. There is nothing more frustrating then spending valuable time weeding the paths. The list of path weed control is almost endless: newspapers (not a fabulous solution), carpet remnants (These will work in my experience but eventually a determined weed will overcome the barrier), and straw. In regards to wood chips, check your garden bylaws because many gardens prohibit the use of wood chips. Landscape fabric is another viable option but do not cheap out, you will regret it later in the season.

If you decide not to mulch, the key to keeping weeds manageable is to remove weeds at the seedling stage. To cleanly remove the unwanted seedlings, slice the weeds just below the soil surface. This is important because many weed seeds occupy the first three inches of the soil stratum. Hoeing too deeply will bring these weed seeds closer to the surface where they can germinate and create havoc in your neatly tended garden beds.